KASHMIR HALF WIDOWS (57 images)

An estimated 8,000 people have disappeared in Kashmir since the insurgency against Indian rule began in 1989. Indian authorities claim that the disappeared men crossed over into Pakistan-administered Kashmir to complete arms training, became militants and never returned. ?Local civil society and international human rights organizations dispute this claim and say that these men were abducted by Indian security forces and were either detained indefinitely or disposed of.??The Indian...more »

An estimated 8,000 people have disappeared in Kashmir since the insurgency against Indian rule began in 1989. Indian authorities claim that the disappeared men crossed over into Pakistan-administered Kashmir to complete arms training, became militants and never returned. ?Local civil society and international human rights organizations dispute this claim and say that these men were abducted by Indian security forces and were either detained indefinitely or disposed of.??The Indian government's refusal to officially recognise enforced disappearances in Kashmir has left families in perpetual limbo, promulgating stress and psychological trauma for parents, spouses and children, the report says.??But for the "half-widows" it is particularly difficult.? ?The report says that based on their insecure position of being "single", yet still legally married, the "half-widows" are unable to access the family estate or ration cards. Even the ex-gratia relief and compassionate appointment created by the Indian government can only be accessed with a death certificate and that too only if it is proven that the deceased had no link with militancy.
Ex-gratia relief can only be accessed by "half-widows" after a period of seven years has passed and only when the case is passed through a local screening committee.??"Half-widows" are undefined legally and within the patriarchal socio-cultural context of South Asia, the women find themselves at the mercy of Kashmiri society, where a deafening silence surrounds gender violence and abuse.
In rural Kashmir, with fewer economic opportunities, "half-widows" are at a greater risk of suffering manipulation by government officials and even community leaders.
Adding to the confusion is the continued dispute over what is the minimum time needed to dissolve a marriage and allow a "half-widow" to move on with her life and possibly remarry according to Islamic law.?« less